Whiffletree attachment for vehicles



{No Model.)

I. N. WEST. WHIPPLETREE ATTACHMENT FOR VEHICLES. No, 460,356. Patented Sept. 29, 1891.

I V'[ ZINE SS E S v7 I i INVENTOR W time. W W M .dttorneyr UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIos.

ISAAC WEST, OF BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS.

WHIFFLETREE ATTACHMENT FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 460,356, dated September 29, 1891.

Application filed March 26, 1891. Serial No. 386,557. (No model.)

To all ZU/LOHI/ it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAAC N. WEST, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bloomington, county of McLean, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Attaching Colts, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices for attaching colts to the shafts or other parts of a wagon or cart, and has for its object to pro vide means whereby the colt can be hitched or attached adjacent to another horse .and thus be allowed to travel with the horse without doing any of the work, but at the same time being practically broken to the harness, if desired; and to these ends my invention consists in a construction and arrangement of parts, substantially as hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this application, Figure l is a perspective view of a pair of thills or shafts of the usual construction having my improvement attached; and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, parts being broken away to show the construction.

In the drawings, A A are the thills or shafts, which may be of any ordinary construction and attached to any kind of a vehicle, and these are joined in the usual Way by the cross-piece B, to which the whiflietree 0 is supported in the usual way, being in the present instance attached by the pin D.

It is usual to allow the colt or young horse to travel alongside of the elder horse, it commonly being connected by a bridle, string, or halter or other means either to the harness of the elder horse or to one of the shafts. Under these circumstances of course the colt is free to change his position with relation to the elder horse and is more liable to be injured or to injure others, and at best the colt is only taught to be led. It is desirable for the better protection of the colt, especially if it be a valuable one, that it should not be allowed so much freedom of movement, and it is also desirable that it should be taught to be driven and to be harnessed, and this is advantageous even before the colt is old enough or strong enough to be hitched up so as to draw a vehicle, and it is to provide means for accomplishing these results that my invention is especially designed.

I provide what may be termed for convenience a doubletree E, which in the present instance I have shown pivoted on the bolt D of the whiflietree, although it is evident that.

it can be otherwise connected, and this doubletree or bar E is allowed freedom of motion around the pivot, while its free end extends beyond and outside of the shaft A. In order to limit the movements of this doubletree or bar,I provide some sort of a guard, as the bent rod F, which is shown as secured to the shaft A, and serving not only to limit the longitudinal movement of the doubletree, but to prevent downward movement or derangement thereof. This doubletree is connected in some suitable way, so that it will have a certain freedom of motion, but still be normally held practically parallel with the cross-piece of the shafts, and I have shown a spring G in the shape of a spiral, connected to the bar F and to the barE, and the strength of this spring is regulated in any suitable way, so that, while it will be normally held in the position shown, it will yield to the movement of the colt attached thereto in the manner hereinafter described without causing any material weight or load to be put upon the colt.

The colt may be attached to the doubletree in any desired way; but I have shown a small whiiiletree H, pivoted to the end of the doubletree or bar E. This provides means whereby the colt can be connected to the bar by the usual traces, so that it soon becomes familiar with the harness and is educated to travel to harness before it is strong enough to do any material work. The colt may be connected by a halter or other means to the elder horse or to the shafts, or may be driven with reins, depending upon the character of the colt and the degree of education it has already obtained; but these things areimmaterial to my invention, one of the essential features of which is that a young colt may be practically connected up and driven to harness without the necessity of doing any material work or affecting in any degree the travel of the vehicle, that depending upon the efforts of the elder horse.

While I have thus described the application of my invention in whatI consider to be the most convenient and usual manner, it is invention and will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, it being remembered that the colt is to be connected to an attachment to some part of the vehicle, by means of which the colt may be driven or led by the side of the elder horse and not be required to perform the-work of pulling ,the-

vehicle.

Having thus fully explained the general principles of my invention and illustrated one way of carrying it out, Iwish it to be un-; derstood that I do not limit myself to thej precise details of construction and arrangement I shown.

What I claim is= 1. As a means of attaching colts, a freelymoving spring-controlled bar connected to the shafts and having devices for attaching the colt to the bar, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the shafts, of the pivoted bar carrying the whiffletree, and a yielding connection between the bar and one of the shafts, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the shafts, of the pivoted bar, a guard attached to the shaft, and a spring interposed between the bar and guard, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ISAAC N. VEST. Witnesses:

JOHN T. LILLARD, ROBERT E. WILLIAMS, J r. 

